Electric switch



F. STREET.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APfLlCATION men we. 1. 1920.

1,369,571. Patented Feb. 22,1921.

ll/l /7//////////7 l 1 j UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED STREET, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED STREET, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented Electric Switches, of which the following is a vspecification.

My invention relates to electric switches and actuating means therefor.

One object of my invention is to provide a switch of novel and improved construction which combines simplicity with compactness of form. c c

A further object is to provide a switch device comprising a series of push buttons and members designed to close a corresponding number of independent circuits, and a single control button, and. releasing member designed to act upon all of saidcircuit-closing members to open all of said circuits simultaneously, while permitting said circuitclosingmembers to be moved independently to circuit-closing position.-

These and other features of my-invention are more fully described hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawin s,'in which I p igure 1, is a perspective view illustrating one application of my invention,

, Fig. 2, is a front elevation of a circuitclosing device made in accordance with my invent1on; v I

. Fig. 3' is a sectional view on the line IIL-III, Fig. 2; i

Fig. 4, is a similar sectional line IV-JV, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, is a detached perspective view of view on the a ortion of the releasing mechanism ig. ,6, is a detached perspective view of one of the springcontact members, and

i Fig. 7,.is a detached perspective showing details of the switch construction,

I have shown in the accompanying drawings a. pool table A, with a switch board B made in accordance with. my invention set at one end of the same; said switch board being provided, in the present instance, with sixteen circuit-closing switches, more particularly referred to hereinafter, and sixteen buttons for operating said switches to close the circuits. As arranged, these switches control thezoircuits of a series of electric A lamps D, mounted in a suitable supporting casing or holderEmounted on the wall adjaoent the pool table. This casing structure or holder for the lamps is provided with sixteen compartments e; each receiving an Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22,1921.

Application filed January 7, 1920. Serial No. 349,917.

electric lamp. Each com artmen't of this casing isprovided at the ront with a glass pane which may have a colored area surrounding a portion left clear to represent will show. It will be understood, therefore,

that if the attendant presses the button marked l, that the circuit will be closed with respect to the lamp and compartment 1, and said lamp will illuminate the compartment and show the numeral for the benefit of the players and the attendant.

My improved switch mechanism is constructed and operated in the following manner: I provide a suitable holder 1, which may be U-shape in cross section, and mounted'in the upper and lower walls 1 and l of this support are stems 2, each of which carries at the upper end a push button C. Mounted on each of these stems intermediate the walls l and 1 isa contact member 3 having aninsulating portion 4:; said contact membersand insulating portion occupying a definite position relatlve to their respective stems; and interposed between the lower wall 1 of the support and the insulating portion 4 are springs, 5 which tend normally to maintain said stems in the elevated and inactive position, illustrated in Fig. 3. Mounted opposite each of the stems 2 within the support 1 and insulated from said support, preferably being carried by rods or bars 6 of insulating material, is a spring contact finger7, each being properly connected in circuit with one of the said lamps. The spring fingers are mounted in proper alinement with the stems 2, and each has a shoulder or arm 8 which normally lies in contact with the insulating portion 4 of the corresponding contact'member, 3, but which is free to overhang the circuit-closing contacts when the stems 2 are depressed by pushing the buttons C, whereby the stems are retained in depressed position. as shown in Fig, 4, until the send spring fingers are withdrawn. By preference, the circuit-"clos ing contact member 3 is circular in cross section, as is also the'insulating portion 4, and the shoulder 8 may be circularly recessed at 9 so as to properly engage these parts.

As indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, each lamp circuit is formed through its respective spring contact finger 7 and the support 1, the support being connected by a wire 2 1 with a suitable source of electric energy, and a wire 25 extending from each of the said fingers to the respective lamps. While the stems 2 are in the elevated position shown in Fig. 3, the shoulder 8 upon the fingers 7 rests against the insulating portions l of the corresponding spindle, and there is no electrio connection between the said fingers and the support 1. the circuits accordingly being broken. When, however. the spindles are depressed, as in Fig. l, the shoulder 8 upon the respective fingers lies against the upper surface of the contact member 3, whereby the circuits are made through the stems and the support. The wires attached to the fingers may pass through the' bottom wall 1 of the holder; the latter being apertured for the purpose and the apertures having insulating collars 10.

It will be understood, of course, that each of the push buttons C operates in precisely a similar manner; eachof the stems carrying a circuit-closing contact for cooperative engagement with the spring finger contacts.

In the form of my invention herein illustrated, I have provided special means for releasing the stems carrying the circuit-closing contacts 3, whereby the circuits may all be opened simultaneously.

Mounted within the casing, preferably centrally of the same, is a stem 15 normally maintained in the elevated position by a spring 16, which is interposed between the lower wall 1 of the holder and a collar 17 carried by said stem 15. This stem may be operated by a button C. The stem is rotatable, and the collar 17 is annularly grooved at 18; the grooved collar lying beneath the upper wall 1 and serving as the means to limit the upward movement of the stem.

Suitably journaled in small bracket bearings 19 carried by the holder, are rock shafts 20, portions of which are clearly shown in perspective in Fi 5; said rock shafts having projections 21 which are disposed in alinement with the spring fingers 7. The position of these projections 21 is such that they are normally out of engagement with the spring contact fingers 7. At their inner ends, these rock shafts carry crank arms 23, projections 2 1 upon the free outer ends of which are disposed in engagement with the slot 18 in the collar 17. It will be understood, therefore, that the button G is depressed, the rock shafts will be turned in their bearings, and the projections 21 of the same will engage the spring fingers, moving the same rearwardly so as to cause their shouldered portions to release the circuit-closing portions 3 of the stems 2, and these stems will rise under the influence of the springs 53.

Under usual conditions, this release of the circuit-closing contact portions 3 from the shouldered portions of the spring fingers would result in an electric are between these two separating elements. To avoid this are, the rock shafts are connected electrically with the support 1, so that when the projections 21 are brought into contact with the spring lingers and the various stems 2 released, the cinnits still remain closed, and will remain closed until the button C is released. As the button C rises, the rock shafts 20 are turned back to normal position, and as the projections 21 leave the spring fingers, the circuits are broken. The are which otherwise would have caused objectionable deterioration of contact portions 3 and the spring lingers is thus transferred to the projections 21 and :1 relatively unimportant portion of the spring fingers, deterioration of which will not affect the circuits.

In Fig. 7, I have shown the details of the construction of the stems and contact members. The contact member 3 and insulating portion 4 are, in 'the present instance, joined to form one integral member, apertured longitudinally, and internally threaded. The stem 2 is threaded in part to accord with the threaded aperture in the members 3 and 4:, and these latter members are attached to the stem by means of these threads. In mounting the stems in the support 1, the stem is first inserted through the aperture in the wall 1, the members 3 and 4:, and the spring 5 are then placed on the stem and the lower extremity inserted through the correct aperture in the wall 1 of the support, after which the members 3 and 1 are screwed to their correct positions upon the stem. The construction of the control element which operates the rock shafts 20 is similar in all respects to the switch elements just described. This construction is such that there is no tendency for members 3 and 4 to become loose upon the stem, since the entire stem is free to turn in its mounting, and at the same time the stems and other elements may be replaced with slight trouble.

The invention is capable of many alterations in form with no departure from the essential features.

I claim:

1. In an electric switch, the combination with a metal support having two separated and opposed walls, of a metal stem mounted in apertures in said walls, an insulator attached to said support, a resilient switch finger mounted upon said insulator and lying adjacent said stem intermediate the said walls. contact and insulator elements car; ried by the stem intermediate said walls, a spring tending to retain the stem in normal position in which saidinsuletor element contacts with said finger, means where by the stem may be moved longitudinally in said support to bring said contact element in contact with the finger, means carried by the finger for engaging the contact element to retain the latter in contact with the finger, a metal releasing member mounted in saidsupport, and means for bringing said member into engagement 'WIth said finger for releasing the contact element therefrom to permit return" of the stem to normal position, whereby the arc is received on the releasing member. 7 c I 2. In an electric switch, the combination with a support, of a plurality of movable stems mounted therein, a spring finger mounted in said support adjacent each of said stems, springs tending to retain said stems in normal position, an insulator element carried by each of said stems and adapted to contact respectively with said adjacent spring fingers when the stems are in the normal position, a contact element adapted to contact with said spring fingers when the stems are depressed, a shoulder upon each of said spring fingers adapted to engage the adjacent contact elements to retain the stems in depressed position, a rock shaft mounted in said support, extensions 7 upon said rock shaft adapted to engage said spring fingers, and means for rocking said shaft to flex the said spring fingers to release the said contact elements from engagement therewith.

FRED STREET. 

